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Played
October 30, 2010 5:00 PM EDT
FC Dallas Stadium — Frisco, Texas
Referee: K. Stott
Attendance: 11003
October 30, 2010 5:00 PM EDT
FC Dallas Stadium — Frisco, Texas
Referee: K. Stott
Attendance: 11003
Top of the Match
Eric Avila
FC Dallas
FC Dallas
Jeff Cunningham
FC Dallas
FC Dallas
Flop of the Match
Javier Morales
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Javier Morales
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating FC Dallas 2-1 Real Salt Lake: Dallas Earn Playoffs Advantage
First match of aggregate series goes to Dallas.
By Jeremy Horton
FC Dallas outplayed Real Salt Lake for most of the night, and in the end it was enough for the Hoops to cement a 2-1 win over the defending champions in the first leg of their playoff series at Pizza Hut Park. Fabian Espindola scored early for the visitors, then Jeff Cunningham leveled the match right before halftime, and Eric Avila scored the game-winner late to send FC Dallas on to Utah with the one-goal advantage in their playoff series.
First Half
Real talked all week about playing defensively for the match in Dallas, but instead they went on the attack from the early going, and in the 5th minute they took the early lead. Andy Williams played a lob over the defense to Espindola. The Argentine held off Ugo Ihemelu as he streaked up the right wing, then cut it back into the middle to set up his preferred left foot. As soon as he found some space, he launched an outstanding hard shot that just curled inside the left post to give Salt Lake the 1-0 lead before most fans had even found their seats.
In the 20th minute, RSL nearly doubled their advantage as Ned Grabavoy latched onto a through ball from Kyle Beckerman. But Hoops goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, in his first match back from a knee injury, came off his line well to snatch the ball off Grabavoy’s foot.
Just a minute later, Dallas had their best chance of the match so far. Milton Rodriguez beat Jamison Olave to a ball that appeared to be rolling out the byline, poking it back to Dax McCarty on the left side of the six-yard box. McCarty took a hard shot to the near post, but Nick Rimando made a highlight-reel diving save to keep his team ahead.
At that point, the momentum shifted in Dallas’ favor and they had more of the ball for a little while. Nevertheless, it was RSL who had the next good scoring chance, in the 36th minute. A Javier Morales ball over the top found Espindola, who made a good individual effort to hold off a defender and work the ball up the left wing. He centered the ball to Alvaro Saborio at the top of the penalty area, but Saborio’s volley was saved well by Hartman.
But it was only a matter of time until Dallas equalized, and the time came in the 44th minute courtesy of ex-RSL’er Cunningham. An entry pass from Jair Benitez took a deflection off Kyle Beckerman and landed at Cunningham’s feet inside the penalty area. Cunningham had the ball poked away as he tried to create space, but it took a fortunate deflection off a Salt Lake player and fell right back to Cunningham. His shot slipped underneath Rimando to bring Dallas level 1-1 going into the halftime break.
Second Half
The teams started the second half playing evenly, though it was the visitors who had the first good attempt on goal. In what looked like almost a carbon copy of his 5th-minute goal, Espindola cut the ball towards the middle and unleashed another left-footed effort toward the far post. But this time, he missed just wide.
Then just a minute later, Dallas came one unfriendly bounce off the woodwork from taking the lead. After a costly turnover in the midfield by RSL, Dallas countered with David Ferreira right up the middle. Ferreira advanced the ball to about 25 yards from goal and then cracked a low, hard shot. It got by Rimando but hit the right post and bounced out. After a few tense moments, Real managed to clear the ball to safety.
In the 67th minute, Dallas again nearly took the lead. Cunningham played a terrific through ball to Marvin Chavez, and Chavez took a swerving shot toward the far post. But Rimando made another outstanding diving save, extending one hand and swatting the shot away.
Then in the 69th minute, a Salt Lake red card changed the dynamic of the match and possibly the entire series. Javier Morales got his second yellow card after putting a boot in the chest of McCarty, reducing RSL to ten men and ensuring Morales will not be able to take part in the return match next week.
But in the 75th minute, Dallas gave the advantage right back. Atiba Harris rashly elbowed Will Johnson on a challenge, sending Johnson sprawling to the turf. Referee Kevin Stott had no choice, but to show Harris a straight red, putting the match right back on level terms with both teams now down a man.
The Hoops didn’t let that set them back, and they kept pressing Salt Lake deeper and deeper into their own end. In the 88th minute, they finally managed to turn the pressure into the winning goal. The ball pinballed through the midfield and fell to Avila who brought it up the right side and hit a perfect shot across his body that just snuck inside the far post to give Dallas the final 2-1 margin. Real made a late push after Avila’s goal and had some excellent opportunities, but could not connect to draw the match level.
The series now heads back to Utah next Saturday, when one of these teams will punch their ticket into the Western Conference Finals.
Keep updated with Major League Soccer throughout the playoffs by visiting Goal.com's MLS page and joining Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
For the latest insider info on all things RSL, follow Jeremy on Twitter @RSL_Jeremy
First Half
Real talked all week about playing defensively for the match in Dallas, but instead they went on the attack from the early going, and in the 5th minute they took the early lead. Andy Williams played a lob over the defense to Espindola. The Argentine held off Ugo Ihemelu as he streaked up the right wing, then cut it back into the middle to set up his preferred left foot. As soon as he found some space, he launched an outstanding hard shot that just curled inside the left post to give Salt Lake the 1-0 lead before most fans had even found their seats.
In the 20th minute, RSL nearly doubled their advantage as Ned Grabavoy latched onto a through ball from Kyle Beckerman. But Hoops goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, in his first match back from a knee injury, came off his line well to snatch the ball off Grabavoy’s foot.
Just a minute later, Dallas had their best chance of the match so far. Milton Rodriguez beat Jamison Olave to a ball that appeared to be rolling out the byline, poking it back to Dax McCarty on the left side of the six-yard box. McCarty took a hard shot to the near post, but Nick Rimando made a highlight-reel diving save to keep his team ahead.
At that point, the momentum shifted in Dallas’ favor and they had more of the ball for a little while. Nevertheless, it was RSL who had the next good scoring chance, in the 36th minute. A Javier Morales ball over the top found Espindola, who made a good individual effort to hold off a defender and work the ball up the left wing. He centered the ball to Alvaro Saborio at the top of the penalty area, but Saborio’s volley was saved well by Hartman.
But it was only a matter of time until Dallas equalized, and the time came in the 44th minute courtesy of ex-RSL’er Cunningham. An entry pass from Jair Benitez took a deflection off Kyle Beckerman and landed at Cunningham’s feet inside the penalty area. Cunningham had the ball poked away as he tried to create space, but it took a fortunate deflection off a Salt Lake player and fell right back to Cunningham. His shot slipped underneath Rimando to bring Dallas level 1-1 going into the halftime break.
Second Half
The teams started the second half playing evenly, though it was the visitors who had the first good attempt on goal. In what looked like almost a carbon copy of his 5th-minute goal, Espindola cut the ball towards the middle and unleashed another left-footed effort toward the far post. But this time, he missed just wide.
Then just a minute later, Dallas came one unfriendly bounce off the woodwork from taking the lead. After a costly turnover in the midfield by RSL, Dallas countered with David Ferreira right up the middle. Ferreira advanced the ball to about 25 yards from goal and then cracked a low, hard shot. It got by Rimando but hit the right post and bounced out. After a few tense moments, Real managed to clear the ball to safety.
A strong FC Dallas performance
In the 67th minute, Dallas again nearly took the lead. Cunningham played a terrific through ball to Marvin Chavez, and Chavez took a swerving shot toward the far post. But Rimando made another outstanding diving save, extending one hand and swatting the shot away.
Then in the 69th minute, a Salt Lake red card changed the dynamic of the match and possibly the entire series. Javier Morales got his second yellow card after putting a boot in the chest of McCarty, reducing RSL to ten men and ensuring Morales will not be able to take part in the return match next week.
But in the 75th minute, Dallas gave the advantage right back. Atiba Harris rashly elbowed Will Johnson on a challenge, sending Johnson sprawling to the turf. Referee Kevin Stott had no choice, but to show Harris a straight red, putting the match right back on level terms with both teams now down a man.
The Hoops didn’t let that set them back, and they kept pressing Salt Lake deeper and deeper into their own end. In the 88th minute, they finally managed to turn the pressure into the winning goal. The ball pinballed through the midfield and fell to Avila who brought it up the right side and hit a perfect shot across his body that just snuck inside the far post to give Dallas the final 2-1 margin. Real made a late push after Avila’s goal and had some excellent opportunities, but could not connect to draw the match level.
The series now heads back to Utah next Saturday, when one of these teams will punch their ticket into the Western Conference Finals.
Keep updated with Major League Soccer throughout the playoffs by visiting Goal.com's MLS page and joining Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
For the latest insider info on all things RSL, follow Jeremy on Twitter @RSL_Jeremy
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |